Raises for alternate minimum wage earners coming

VICTORIA, B.C.- Raises are coming for alternate minimum wage earners. Liquor servers, piece-rate farmers, resident caretakers, and live in camp leaders will all soon see a pay raise. The news was announced today by the Minister of Labour Harry Bains.

“No one working for minimum wage, full-time, year-round should be living in poverty. Workers deserve a minimum level of protections that regardless of a person’s job description, they don’t earn a wage that is distinctly less then the general minimum wage.” Stated Baines.

Liquor servers, resident caretakers and live in camp leaders will all see wage increases as of June 1st 2018, while farm workers paid by the piece rate will see an increase as of January 1st, 2019. Agricultural Minister Lana Popham said the government is extending the transition period for changes to the farm worker piece rate to January 2019, from June 2018, in order to better balance the needs of workers and the agricultural industry.

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Wages for the five worker groups will increase like this:

Liquor servers – incremental increases on June 1 each year, beginning June 2018, until the general minimumwage is reached, of at least $15.20 per hour, in 2021.

Piece-rate farm workers – 11.5% increase to all piece rates on Jan. 1, 2019, with further study to take place.

Resident caretakers – 11.5% increase June 2018, followed by increases of 9.5%, 5.4% and 4.1% in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively (wages vary depending on building size).

Live-in camp leaders – same per cent increases as resident caretakers, until they reach $121.65/per day, in 2021.

Live-in home-support workers – abolishment of the alternate minimumwage for this group, as it covers very few or no workers. The general minimumwage will apply to any workers remaining in this category.

In February 2018 the Fair Wages Commission had two tasks, first to recommend a pathway to raise general minimum wage to 15$-an-hour. The second task was to provide recommendations on groups of workers whose minimumwage is different from the general wage. These workers were liquor servers, farm workers paid by piece rates, resident caretakers, live-in camp leaders, and live-in home support workers.

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